Taxi Licence Allowed After Second Appeal

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31163, 13 September 1966, Page 13

Taxi Licence Allowed After Second Appeal

After two appeals the Transport Licensing Appeal Authority (Mr. J. H. Luxford) has granted N. E. Junge a taxicab licence for Lyttelton subject to his installing a radio-telephone in his taxi and joining the Kiwi taxi organisation.

After a review of the Lyttelton taxi service the No. 9 Transport Licensing Authority (Mr. J. S. Haywood) gave a decision in May, 1964, which severely criticised the service, said Mr. Luxford in a reserved decision.

In a second decision given at the same time Mr. Haywood granted an additional licence to I. G. Healy. Junge appealed against this, and Mr. Luxford revoked Healy’s licence and directed that Mr. Haywood consider Junge’s application again. On the application again coming before Mr. Haywood it was treated as a new hearing with two other applications, and it was held that, “having regard to the restitution of the services, a completely new organisation with cabs on radio-telephone of a continuous nature,' plus the opening of the Lyttelton tunnel,” a seventh cab for Lyttelton was not desirable in the public interest, said Mr. Luxford. It was also held that “although Junge was a good man, Lyttelton was not his natural clime.” It was clear that his direc-

tion did not justify a reconsideration of any application other than Junge’s, said Mr. Luxford. It was also clear that it did not justify a reconsideration of whether another licence was necessary for Lyttelton. The grounds on which the application was refused did not justify the refusal, said Mr. Luxford, and the finding that Lyttelton was not Junge’s natural clime (if a relevant ground) was not warranted by the evidence.